Our Women's/Curved Fit Size Range - Choosing Your Size

We are excited to launch our new size range of Women's/Curved 14-38 (H-T).

All patterns that are released in this new size range will also be available in our original 0-22 (A-L) size range too.

This post explains the difference between the two size ranges, and some general information about our sizing so you can choose the range that best suits you.

What are the two size ranges?

The two Women's/Curved Fit ranges are A-L (0-22) and H-T (14-38).

First off, you might be wondering about the letters. Our sizes are labelled alphabetically from A-T. Alongside we have noted the American standard sizes to act as a general reference point only.

There are two reasons why we decided use Alphabetical Sizing (A-T)

Ready-to-wear sizes vary greatly and it can be confusing to know what the actual size is. A size 8 is different in New Zealand than it is in Australia, or the US or the UK, let alone the differences between individual brands. By using alphabetical sizing, you are encouraged to use your actual body measurements for an accurate fit, rather than guessing your size based on another country or brand's sizing.
Ready-to-wear sizes can carry emotions with them for some people. Using alphabetical sizes can help to encourage body acceptance through viewing factual measurements of your body.

For a good fit, we urge you to look at your actual body measurements rather than using the referenced standard sizes. This is, after all, a major bonus of sewing your own clothes - making them to fit your own unique body shape.

Why two ranges, rather than having all sizes in one range?

Essentially they are two different patterns, of the same design.

From the beginning of the development process, the design is created using two different sets of proportions and end size ranges in mind.

Each size block has drafting differences which make for a better fit in that particular size range. Both the A-L (0-22) range and the H-T (14-38) range are drafted and tested separately, and each set of feedback is incorporated into the final adjustments.

Another, more practical reason for two ranges is that it allows us to nest the pattern pieces in a more effective layout for efficient printing.

We understand that representation matters, and each size range comes complete with fitting advice, photos, and view diagrams specific to that range.

What are the differences between the ranges?

The 0-22 (A-L) range is:

drafted for a 2"difference between the upper bust and full bust, commonly expressed as a Dressmaker's B cup.
(Except for size 0 which is a youth size 12 and based on a 1" difference or a Dressmaker's A cup)

The 14-38 (H-T) range is :

drafted for a 4" difference between the upper bust and full bust, commonly expressed as dressmaker's D cup
drafted for a fuller waist, and is roomier through the upper arm

How to choose your size range

Find your bust, waist and hip measurements on the size chart and highlight them.

This post from Leila Sews has some great tips on measuring bodies, particularly those with a fuller waist.

If you are within sizes A-G - choose the A-L (0-22) size range
If you are within sizes M-T - choose the H-T (14-38) size range

What if your size falls in both of the size ranges?

If your size falls into the overlap between sizes H-L/14-22 you can choose between the two ranges based on your measurements and proportions.

Choose the A-L (0-22) size range if:

you have a 2"difference between upper and full bust
you tend to need less room in the bust
you tend to find front hems dip down in tops and dresses

Choose H-T (14-38) size range if:

you tend to need more room in the bust and waist
you have a 4" difference between upper and full bust
you tend to find tops and dresses pull up at the front hem
you tend to find drag lines around the arm holes of garments

For those whose measurements span several sizes - we have included an overlap of 5 pattern sizes in each range - to ensure you are catered for in each size range.

What If You Are Between Individual Sizes (within a range)

Very rarely do people's measurements fall exactly in one size. That's why ready-to-wear clothes might fit at one part of the body, but be too loose elsewhere.

A bonus of sewing your own clothes is that you can sew a custom size to fit your unique body. If your measurements fall in multiple sizes you can blend between them! All of our sewing patterns have fitting resources on how to accomplish this inside each individual pattern.

Consider the Ease of a Garment

T+T patterns are designed with generous ease to ensure a comfortable fit and to allow for freedom of movement.

If you find that patterns come up larger than you prefer, it might be useful to understand ease so you can adjust it to suit your needs.

When dealing with woven fabrics, the garment measurements for your chosen size(s) will be bigger than your body, even on a close-fitting garment, to allow you to breathe and move around in it. We call this 'ease allowance'.

Twig + Tale patterns include a "Finished Garment Measurements" chart. This details the amount of "wearing ease" at various points of the garment.

Different styles of garments will have differing amounts of ease allowance. Loose-fitting garments will have lots of ease as part of the design, whereas more tightly fitted garments will have less ease. If there is a lot of ease, you could choose to go down a size if you preferred a tighter fit - and vice versa.

If you do decide to size up or down, bear in mind that other areas of the garment, such as the shoulders or forearm, will come up larger or smaller too and you may have to adjust for that.

Generally, bottoms at T+T include elastic, so the ease allowance at the waist is 0, so that the elastic clings to you. You also need to ensure that there is enough ease to get things on and off.

Fitting Adjustments

In addition to blending between sizes, it may be that you need to make some more technical adjustments to get the perfect fit. We have a wide range of common fitting adjustment tutorials on our blog. Be sure to check to them out!

Which printing formats are available?

Our sewing patterns are available as a downloadable PDF and include three printing options:

US Letter/A4 - tiled and designed to print on your home printer
Copyshop - A0 wide-format file (33.1″ x 46.8″)
Projector - specially-formatted and optimized for home projector use. Read more about using our projector files here

All pattern printing formats include “layers”, allowing you to print only the size(s) you need, or all of the sizes.

What if I have previously purchased a pattern in the original size range?

If you have previously purchased a pattern which has since been updated to include the new H-T (14-38) size range, you will find BOTH size ranges have automatically been added to your Pattern Library. Simply log-in to your account and navigate to your Pattern Library to download them.

If the updated pattern includes any associated add-ons, be sure to use the updated add-ons, alongside the updated patterns. These add-ons can also be found within your Pattern Library.